2016-12-15-minutes-public-hearing-to-consider-the-2017-public-health-fee-schedule

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Board of Health Minutes December 15, 2016 3 of 4 procedures to sell. They are regulated through the state as well. The increased fee is hard to absorb as the fee is more expensive than King County. They are also required to have a food handler's card while they are not cooking food, and only operating four hours a week. Mr. Cox would like to propose keeping the fee the same and not increasing it. Mark Nelson, Kittitas County resident and local septic designer, stepped to the microphone. Mr. Nelson stated that the OSS redesign fee being more than the same designer fee seems steep, since the county has already seen the design, just a different designer. Not sure that this should be the case. Mr. Nelson also noted that when there are multiple site evaluations in one location, the fee should not increase to $550.00, but should be less. Jeremy Bach, Bach Well Drilling and Kittitas County resident, stepped to the microphone. Mr. Bach stated that he has been drilling wells in the county for a long time and the increases in the Well Site Review have increased in the last seven years from about $70-75.00. Processes and procedures are still the same. The fee increase seems a bit excessive over the last six to seven years. Other delegated counties (like ours) don't even charge this fee and noted a few of those counties. He also commented that the county also gets a kickback from the Department of Ecology for each well inspected. Mr. Bach also pointed out that the lab sampling fee (the one the county has to actually go out and take) has decreased. Mr. Bach noted that he knows there was a new fee methodology implemented, but it makes no sense how lab sampling goes down 23%, but the Well Site Review permit, in which someone sits in the office to process paperwork, goes up 26%. That was all he had. Bambi Miller, Kittitas County resident, and is also a Farmer's Market board member noted that an increase from $180.00 to 330.00 (an 83% increase) seems excessive for selling eggs and frozen meat products that already have to go through USDA requirements. They will have to pass this cost onto their customers who may or may not want to pay the increase for their product. Some vendors are not serving or preparing food, but treated as though they are. The board would like to work with the county to figure out a permit that will meet the health department requirements and keep the costs down to keep vendors here. Public testimony closed at 10:42 a.m. Rich Elliott noted that he does not like to see fees going up, but is sensitive to the health department since they are doing what is being asked of them to do. Mr. Elliott recommended trying to work with farmer's market clients to develop a system that was more appropriate for what they were doing, and not treat them differently. Commissioner Jewell asked for clarification on the market permit and if it covered all farmer's Markets in the county. Holly Myers stepped to the microphone and responded that it does. There was discussion about setting the Farmer's Market permit fee at the temp food level 3 fee of $255.00 temporarily. The board recommended that the health department work with the Farmer's Market Board to set fees for the market, and to have this done for the next Farmer's Market that starts in May. There were additional conversations for clarifications of a couple fees. Commissioner Jewell noted that the 2017 Public Health fees were adjusted based on the new fee methodology that includes actual county staff time, gas, etc. and not just based on random numbers.